


And the Wheels Keep Spinning 'Round

by Hepzheba



Series: Tumblr ficlets [37]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Driving, Fix-It, Getting Together, Insomnia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-23
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-04 01:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6635452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hepzheba/pseuds/Hepzheba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles has trouble sleeping. Derek notices.</p>
            </blockquote>





	And the Wheels Keep Spinning 'Round

**Author's Note:**

> Title from Eels' I need some sleep.

There are dark lines under Stiles’ eyes and have been for quite some time now, ever since the nogitsune. Stiles isn’t sleeping well, he doesn’t tell anyone this but it’s evident to anyone with eyes. Scott seems at a loss of what to do. Derek is too. He and Stiles are kinda, sorta friends now and Derek wishes he could help Stiles. He takes to watch Stiles’ bedroom window at night. The teen does research and watches movies and basically anything but sleeping. At first he goes to bed but the nightmares wake him up quickly and so he doesn’t even go to bed anymore. He passes out from exhaustion in his desk chair or maybe on his bed when he’s watching a movie or one of those stupid sitcoms he likes to watch. If Stiles knew Derek lurked outside he would complain that Derek is being a creeper. Derek worries though, that’s all.

Time passes, Derek watches, Stiles doesn’t sleep.

One night Stiles leaves his room and comes out in the backyard where Derek is lying in his wolf-form under a tree. Derek stays completely still, not sure if Stiles is out because of him or maybe he just needs some fresh air.

“You really are a creeper,” Stiles comments into the darkness, eyes suddenly fixed on Derek. Derek sits up and Stiles snorts.

“Do you have your car here? I want a milkshake.”

Why they can’t just take Stiles’ car, Derek will never know, but they get into Derek’s car that’s parked a few streets away. They don’t say anything. Stiles gets his strawberry milkshake even though Derek knows that the sugar won’t do anything to help him sleep. He plays with the straw with his tongue. He’s ridiculous, Derek thinks, but it sounds only fond. Derek drives around town, at first checking in on the rest of the pack; they are all fast asleep. Even Deaton is. Then he just drives around aimlessly. He turns to Stiles at a red light - it’s ridiculous that it’s red when theirs is the only car out driving this time at night. Derek opens his mouth to say something but the words get lost when he realizes that Stiles is asleep, head leant against the window. He’s almost afraid to start driving again and rolls to a slow start. Stiles doesn’t wake up. Derek drives around until it’s time for Stiles to get ready for school. Stiles sleeps the entire time without seeming to have a single nightmare.

Derek wakes him up when they’re outside the Stilinski household.

“Sorry, must’ve dozed off.”

“It’s okay,” Derek says but thinks that it’s more than okay, it’s pretty awesome.

  
It becomes a thing after that, them driving around. At first Stiles pretends like it’s about something else, often he buys milkshake, but after a while he just comes out of the house at midnight and gets in the car. Derek drives and thinks he can sleep in the day when the others are in school. Stiles sleeps a few hours every night in Derek’s car. His neck must hurt but he doesn’t complain. The dark circles under his eyes start to fade and he regains some of that energy that is typical for Stiles. They talk a lot before Stiles falls asleep. It’s nice and Derek thinks they might’ve started something new, something that’s not only friendship. He’s not bold enough to ask though.

  
All good things come to an end though; Derek’s car gets smashed by a pack of omegas and Stiles’ car is in the shop for some malfunctioning that they don’t really know what it is. They don’t have a car and Stiles is once again left to his insomnia.

He barges into Derek’s loft early one night, it’s barely past eleven, way earlier than Derek usually leaves for his watch duties.

“I need to sleep!” Stiles announces. He tugs at his hair.

Derek gives his bed a look, mostly as a joke, but Stiles seems to take him seriously and tucks himself into Derek’s bed. Derek’s both thrilled and terrified because now his bed is going to smell like Stiles. Stiles falls asleep quite quickly and Derek continues to watch the cooking show on TV. He startles when Stiles starts tossing and moaning in distress - it’s familiar, something Derek has hears a hundred times but not lately and he’s never been close enough to do anything. He hesitates for only a moment and then hurries to Stiles’ side. He sits down on the side of the bed and takes Stiles’ hands in both of his.

“Shh. It’s okay, Stiles. I’m here.”

Stiles’ eyes fly open and he looks around, terrified.

“It’s okay,” Derek says as soothingly as he can. Stiles blinks, stares at him and tears well up in his eyes.

“It’s okay,” Derek tells him again.

“You died,” Stiles whispers.

“No, I didn’t, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

Stiles trembles and Derek pulls him into a hug.

“It’s okay,” Derek whispers.

“You died. I killed you.”

“But you didn’t. I’m here, I’m fine.”

Stiles sobs against his shoulder and they stay like that for a long time, Derek whispering soothing words and Stiles sobbing.

“Will you stay here?” Stiles asks and Derek nods.

“I’ll be right here on the couch.”

“No, I mean, here, in bed, with me.”

Derek nods, it’s just platonic, he tells himself as he crawls into bed next to Stiles. Stiles, though, doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo but curls his body against Derek’s, putting his head on Derek’s shoulder.

“Is this okay?” he asks and Derek nods. He arranges his arm so Stiles is lying on it instead and Stiles smiles slightly.

“This is perfect,” Derek whispers and Stiles looks up at him. His eyes look dark in the low light and Derek realizes he should’ve turned off the TV. Stiles leans forward and kisses him then and Derek couldn’t care less about the TV.

  
They end up sleeping the whole night without Stiles having a single nightmare. They both sleep so deep that Stiles oversleeps. It’s okay though. Derek thinks when they meet after school and Stiles laughs at his own joke, eyes awake and happy.


End file.
